A proud gay doctor was struck down with coronavirus while on the frontline. Now, he’s Mr Gay World
Francisco José Alvarado is Mr Gay World 2020 (Instagram)
Gay doctor Francisco José Alvarado survived a terrifying ordeal with coronavirus, and has now been crowned Mr Gay World 2020.
Alvarado was last year’s runner-up in the contest, which seeks to find a global ambassador for the gay community.
But because of the ongoing pandemic, organisers decided to call off the contest and give Alvarado the title instead.
And that accolade couldn’t have come at a better time for Alvarado — he received the news shortly after recovering from the coronavirus himself.
Gay doctor Francisco José Alvarado crowned Mr Gay World 2020.
The 30-year-old, who works in Lavapiés Health Centre in Madrid, first started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 on March 10, he told Redacción Médica.
“I began to notice them while on duty at the hospital,” Alvarado revealed in the Spanish-language interview, which was translated by Queerty.
“It started with a dry cough, but we were in a moment of collective chaos, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.
He continued: “Coming out of a 24-hour shift, it is normal that you have the feeling that you have been beaten. It was hard to tell if that usual tiredness was from work or the symptoms.”
But the next day his symptoms were worse again, and he was tested for COVID-19. When the result came back positive, he retreated to his bedroom in his shared apartment to self-quarantine in an effort to stem the spread of the infection.
“When I told my grandmother, she started crying. Little was known about the disease at the time and there was fear of uncertainty,” he said.
He got the call from Mr Gay World organisers while tending to patients.
After 20 days in self-isolation, Alvarado tested negative for coronavirus, and was finally allowed back to work.
Earlier this month, while tending to patients, Alvarado received a phone call from Mr Gay World organisers telling him that he had been selected as the 2020 representative for the contest.
“I was at the health centre when they told me,” Alvarado said.
“It is an injection of fresh air in the circumstances we are experiencing,” he added.
“The coronavirus issue is affecting much at the health level and is wearing out management and politics.”
